Should you eat dessert before or after dinner? Find out which one is relatively healthier. Dessert makes a meal complete. After a lunch or dinner, many people crave something sweet, which is why desserts have been regarded as the final reward after a meal. Of course, sweets come with health risks, including blood sugar spikes. But even after a heavy meal, when there is barely any appetite left, many people still find it hard to say no to dessert and may end up overeating. This gives so much meaning to the popular saying, ‘There’s always room for dessert.' Similarly, it is very common that in front of a tasty sweet dish, your appetite goes up.ALSO READ: Endocrinologist shares best and worst fruits for blood sugar spikes: Know where berries, grapes, bananas, apples standStop overeating your desserts after dinner. (Picture credit: Freepik )So, how can one control their cravings? Dr Abhay Inderjit Ahluwalia, director of endocrinology at Fortis Hospital Gurugram, told HT Lifestyle that eating a small item before a meal may help some people control cravings and reduce the urge to overeat a dessert later.How to control dessert cravings?Answering this common doubt, the endocrinologist shared, “Food decisions are not driven solely by hunger. Anticipation, emotions, habits, stress levels, and previous experiences with food often play a significant role. Many individuals begin a meal already thinking about dessert. In some cases, the anticipation of a sweet dish remains present throughout the meal, leading to larger portions or a sense of dissatisfaction even after adequate food intake.”Cravings are always driven by hunger alone. Sometimes, the mind remains fixated on the idea of having dessert, making you think about it throughout the meal. As a result, even after you are done eating, you may end up having more dessert than usual, making the craving harder to control. Eating a small portion of dessert before a meal does not mean promoting sugar consumption. Instead, the main idea behind this hack, as mentioned by the doctor too, is that when you address the craving earlier, you feel satisfied and don't overeat the meal once it is done.Decoding the behaviour of cravingThe endocrinologist also brought in the perspective of behavioural nutrition, where, when you restrict any food, it becomes ‘disproportionately desirable.’“Those who eliminate sweets from their diet get cravings which intensify over time,” Dr Ahluwalia added.When you eat a small serving of any sweet before a meal, if you crave desserts a lot, then the doctor found that people overeat less.“By addressing the craving early, some people find it easier to focus on the meal itself and make more balanced food choices afterwards,” the doctor said, highlighting the role of psychological satisfaction.Such a scenario is relevant for some people. The doctor listed:People who crave desserts after mealsThose who struggle with cycles of restriction and overeatingChildren who become overly focused on sweets because of strict food rulesPeople attempting to build a balanced relationship with foodAt the same time, the doctor warned that eating sugary foods on an empty stomach can cause a rapid spike in blood sugar levels. This can be unhealthy, especially for people with diabetes, prediabetes, insulin resistance, obesity, or metabolic syndrome.And even otherwise, focusing on the type and quality of desserts is important, along with portion size, which the doctor said continues to remain central to the conversation.Which healthy sweet treats can you eat?Eat Greek yoghurt with fresh fruits. (Picture credit: Pexels)Dessert does not mean a free pass to anything unhealthy. If you are craving something sweet, here are some foods you can eat before your lunch/dinner, as recommended by the endocrinologist:A small piece of dark chocolateFresh fruit with unsweetened yoghurtSmall homemade sweets like jaggery-sesame ladoo or kheer with less sugarA fruit-based dessert with minimal added sugarNote to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.Adrija Dey’s proclivity for observation fuels her storytelling instinct. As a lifestyle journalist, she crafts compelling, relatable narratives across diverse touchpoints of the human experience, including wellness, mental health, relationships, interior design, home decor, food, travel, and fashion that gently nudge readers toward living a little better. For her, stories exist in flesh and bones, carried by human vessels and shaped through everyday endeavours. It is the small stories we live and share that make us human. After all, humans and their lores are the most natural and raw repositories of stories, and uncovering them, for her, is akin to peeling an orange under a winter afternoon sun. Always up for a chat, she believes the best stories come from unfiltered yapping, where "too much information" is kind of the point. A graduate of Indraprastha College for Women, University of Delhi, and an alumna of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), Delhi, Adrija spends her idle hours cocooned with herbal tea and a gripping thriller, scribbling inner monologues she loosely calls poetic pieces, often with her succulents in attendance. On lazier days, she can be found binge-watching, for the nth time, one from her comfort-show holy trinity: The Office (US), Brooklyn Nine-Nine, or Modern Family. Dancing by herself to her peppy playlists, however, is an everyday ritual she swears by religiously.Read MoreDessertDietCatch every big hit, every wicket with Crick-it, a one stop destination for Live Scores, Match Stats, Quizzes, Polls & much more. Explore now!.Catch your daily dose of Fashion, Taylor Swift, Health, Festivals, Travel, Relationship, Recipe and all the other Latest Lifestyle News on Hindustan Times Website and APPs.See Less